Her trip to Washington today — and her cancellation of a public appearance in Warren on Monday — fueled speculation that she’s being vetted for the seat Justice David Souter will relinquish at the end of the court’s term in June. But White House press secretary Robert Gibbs wasn’t saying whether that was the case.

He ducked answering the question at the briefing Monday, intensifying the media spotlight on the governor and former Michigan attorney general, who reportedly is on a short list of contenders that includes Janet Napolitano, the secretary of Homeland Security; Solicitor General Elena Kagan; and U.S. Appeals Court judges Sonia Sotomayor and Diane Pamela Wood.

Closer to home, Granholm Press Secretary Liz Boyd was equally coy when asked about her boss and possible SCOTUS vetting.

Granholm spokeswoman Liz BOYD told MIRS that the Governor would be there for an announcement that was “unrelated to the Supreme Court buzz.” When asked if she had been contacted by the Obama administration about the job, Boyd said: “I am not offering a comment on anything related to speculation about a possible appointment with the Obama administration.”

Although Boyd isn’t offering any comment, plenty of other pundits have.

And Detroit News columnist Laura Bergman, also on Sunday, marshaled what she called “powerful arguments” for Granholm to be Obama’s pick.

But last Thursday, blogger Susan Demas, in her Capitol Chronicles, had an interesting take on why the president will select someone other than the governor.

With all the gloomy news about Michigan’s budget, rampant unemployment in the state and automakers teetering through bankruptcy court, speculation about Granholm and a possible U.S. Supreme Court nomination is a fun game to play.